All Ireland Gaelic Football Final 2014 Kerry v Donegal

[blewuporstuffed]

Small margins lads. Small margins.

Had O'Connors goal bound shot went in maybe a different outcome ?

Kerry were gone first semi final day.

Had Brogan scored a first half goal in the semi, Donegal could have been gone too.

Inches.

Never mind that.  If the all officials didn't pass up two opportunities to give a 45 from that shot (GK saved it, defender then kicked it over the line) the result could have been different.  Murphy probably would have tapped it over and Donegal would have went in a point up.  Like you say the margins are so small, and its poor that multiple officials miss the glaringly obvious.

you could forgive them for missing the touch off the keeper, but i really dont know how they didnt see the defender putting it out 

[yellowcard]

Gaelic football badly needs a resurgent Meath team, and possibly a resurgent Down team, to lift all our spirits with their traditional style and panache.

I'm not even sure how you would describe Meath's style under O'Dowd but they don't look any different to most other county teams, I certainly haven't noticed them kicking the ball any more than most other teams. Much in the same way that Meath have long since lost their label as a hard physical team. Same goes with Down under McCartan (and it will be the same under McCorry), they never exactly played six forwards up the field and kicked the ball any more than any other side. Giving certain counties a label because of what a successful team representing their county done 20-30-40 years ago is outdated. Most counties in the modern game are simply different forms of the same clone in terms of playing style. What separates them first and foremost is the level of preparation and tactical approach undertaken and then secondly the calibre of player available to them. I'd much prefer if the rules leaned more towards a team with talent prevailing over preparation and tactical approach but it won't happen in the modern game.     

[Jinxy]

Gaelic football badly needs a resurgent Meath team, and possibly a resurgent Down team, to lift all our spirits with their traditional style and panache.

I'm not even sure how you would describe Meath's style under O'Dowd but they don't look any different to most other county teams, I certainly haven't noticed them kicking the ball any more than most other teams. Much in the same way that Meath have long since lost their label as a hard physical team. Same goes with Down under McCartan (and it will be the same under McCorry), they never exactly played six forwards up the field and kicked the ball any more than any other side. Giving certain counties a label because of what a successful team representing their county done 20-30-40 years ago is outdated. Most counties in the modern game are simply different forms of the same clone in terms of playing style. What separates them first and foremost is the level of preparation and tactical approach undertaken and then secondly the calibre of player available to them. I'd much prefer if the rules leaned more towards a team with talent prevailing over preparation and tactical approach but it won't happen in the modern game.   

Tactics are like kryptonite to us.

[orangeman]

I read that the Rathmore club have provided 4 All-Ireland man of the match winners. Paul Murphy, Tom O'Sullivan , Aidan O'Mahony and DJ Crowley (1969) .
Some achievement for one club. East Kerry Abu!

Tom Sullivan was some player.

Great return by Rathmore alright.

[muppet]

I meant to comment on that earlier. That takes some faith in your technique. To come from a cold start and nail that one was huge for Sheehan. I was happy for him too, (sorry lads) because I remember him missing a kickable one v Tyrone back in 2008 I think which would have been a big score for Kerry too.

Outstanding piece of skill. Sheehan had one versus Mayo in first semi too which fell short.

For a man who says that managers role is made too much off Fitzmaurice made some outstanding calls in relation to match ups.

Whether Lacey got the block on O'Briens first ball in or not ( McStay seems to be source of that ?) they had a preplannned tactic to get Paul Geaney in there against a smaller man. Donaghy's idea apparently.
Paul Murphy was made for Ryan McHugh but would I think struggle against a more physical player. McBrearty was gave him plenty to think about when he came on and the Enright introduction helped close him down. Fitzmaurice knows his squads strengths and weaknesses and was very quick to act.

No doubt he remembered the time the pre-match hype was about whether Mayo would put David Brady or someone in to mark himself and Kerry proceeded to land high ball on top of Gooch and Dermot Geraghty which Gooch made hay off.

Fitzmaurice schooled Jimmy on Sunday. Jimmy probably had the full hand shown in the Dublin game but by God Fitzmaurice and Kerry made sure every angle was covered. Allowing them to take the short kickouts and work the ball up the field, playing the ball over and back when no avenue of attack was open - these wore Donegal down and left them a bit flat. Why Donegal didn't at least try a % of long kickouts just baffled me (especially if you'd seen the balls Durkan made of several short kickouts in the warmup).

We had just switched Pat Kelly onto the Gooch when the high ball started. It didn't matter, he won the first one and goaled.

[magpie seanie]

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/football/kerrys-adaptability-the-secret-of-success-288228.html

In school, we were taught one of the fundamental truths that it is not the strongest species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.

Since 2000, the game of Gaelic Football has changed irrevocably.

In that period, Kerry have won six All-Irelands. Whether they know it or not, they have lived the Darwinian model. On Sunday, their adaptability once again sustained them, and left them as last team standing in September.

Was there an element of luck about Sunday's win? Being realistic, yes. Stephen O'Brien's shot in the opening minute wasn't meant to be half-blocked but Paul Geaney was exactly where he was told to be, one-on-one with the diminutive Paddy McGrath.

The next shot from Johnny Buckley wasn't meant to hit the post but a clever tap down from Geaney to Donaghy allowed him to clip a point with his left foot. Donegal keeper Paul Durcan certainly didn't mean to pass the ball to Donaghy in the 52nd minute and if he hadn't, there was no guarantee Kerry would have won. But by that stage Kerry had done what they had done in every game this year. They had adapted and ensured they were in front after the famous third quarter. It was the prerequisite that had to be delivered against such a systematic Donegal machine. Fortune favoured the brave and Durcan mis-kicked. The winners wrote the script.

Before Sunday's decider, Joe Brolly questioned whether Kerry would have enough time to develop a game plan to defeat Donegal. Brolly referred to the Donegal players' slavish adherence to their system and its robotic efficiency, four years in the making. He reasoned that Kerry would have had 11 days or a maximum of four training sessions to prepare and fully concentrate on the unforeseen opposition, especially after their own marathon replay with Mayo.

He was right insofar as the final was the most awkward tactical challenge on Kerry's journey. But Kerry don't revamp for anyone, they adapt within the context of their own abilities. What Brolly could not have appreciated was that it is Kerry's fundamentals that are so strong and dynamic with well-rounded footballers. Whatever adaptations are required thereafter can be absorbed far easier by non-robots. That system trumps all.

This season, the most significant adaptation Kerry actually made was after losing by ten points to Cork in the final round of the national league. At that point, the Kerry management realised they needed more protection at the back. Full-forwards were getting too good and their full-back line was getting too weak. It was hatched behind closed doors in Portugal and kept under wraps until the Munster final. Logically, we predicted something defensive coming, but the execution was excellent. Both wing-forwards were now dropping deep while Declan O'Sullivan dictated play as a sweeper. Their comfort in possession and kicking skills restricted Cork's time on the ball, another very clever way of lowering the opposition's attacks.

In the Cork game, they went 25 minutes without giving a pass away. That's as good a defensive system as you can have. They won the Munster final and by doing so, they were, essentially in with an 50/50 chance of making the All-Ireland final.

Since then, Kerry have only had to tweak their model to suit the opposition or indeed the occasion. Galway provided scrutiny with some penetration without ever really threatening to beat them. In this game, Kerry went 31 minutes without giving away a pass. It was enough to get them through, but lessons were learned. They didn't allow victory mask the issues. Peter Crowley had been loose with his fouling up to that point in the season but the risk-reward was now worth it. He was brought in to shore up the centre of their defence. The Declan O'Sullivan role was now open to analysis by opposition and like his knees, it was waning in effectiveness. The fresher legs of Stephen O'Brien, back from injury, were required for Mayo. Bryan Sheehan's injury looked to be disastrous given his Munster final display but David Moran was ready to step into his shoes. Adapt. Move on.

Against Mayo, they were nearly overtaken twice on the home straight but in the drawn game they threw Kieran Donaghy at the problem and so had to be given credit for solving it. The replay focused completely on his renaissance as a target man, a tactic which they discovered was Mayo's ultimate weakness. Different game, different adaptation.

On Sunday, they out-Donegaled Donegal. Unlike the cavalier approach of Dublin's half-back line and midfield, Kerry logically pulled the reins on their own half-backs. They played the game on their terms and Donegal's limitations were exposed. Against Dublin, Anthony Thompson, Paddy McGrath, Karl Lacey had scarpered into open country beyond an absent Dublin half-back line while Ryan McHugh ghosted in on second phase. Watching Donegal's warm-up, an incredible amount was dedicated towards replicating such moves as each Donegal player soloed in succession, hard down the centre of the field from the halfway line. In the game itself, Peter Crowley and Killian Young were back there, holding fast, waiting for these runners while Paul Murphy was detailed on McHugh and did a bit of scarpering himself in the open channels out wide. Adapt or Die. They kept moving forward.

The adaptability of this Kerry team has been grounded not in brilliant individuals but in the fact that their fundamentals are so strong. The strength and conditioning, the ball work, the honesty of effort and the belief has been the foundation of every performance. A reflection of their manager. No ego, just hard work on top of quality. Ironically, it was the Roy Keane/Jim McGuiness conversation that coined it: "Good players, very focused training at a very high intensity level is the magic formula".

The tactics become flexible, not pre-ordained. Post this 2014 All-Ireland win, no one's opinion is more valid than Declan O'Sullivan's. In the aftermath of Sunday's victory, he identified this high quality intensity in training as the primary difference for Kerry in 2014. The icing in the cake has been the development of a modern defensive approach that marries with their fluid style of football. The cherry on the top are the tweaks in tactics as Eamonn Fitzmaurice refers to them, bespoke to the opposition team in question.

Legendary ice hockey coach Scott Bowman is famous for acknowledging early in his career that in order to win games, he had better be ready to adapt. Darwin wasn't far wrong either. For Kerry, 11 days and four sessions was more than enough.

— Statistics courtesy of dontfoul (shining a light onto GAA stats). www. dontfoul.wordpress.com.

Excellent article, thanks for posting up. The stats relating to minutes without giving away a pass are astonishing - would love to see comparable stats for other sides. I'd imagine Dublin could run this close at times.

[bcarrier]

Seanie there are more stats on that blog. Most of Dublin here http://dontfoul.wordpress.com/category/leinster-sfc/

[Ciarrai_thuaidh]

First post since Sunday. Shattered physically, but elated. What a day and what an achievement by Fitzmaurice/Cian O'Neill especially.

Horrible game for neutrals I can imagine, but that was always going to be the case given the situation.

It's seriously hard to win back to back All Ireland's obviously, but can't wait to see these lads have a crack off it and regardless what happens, the future looks ok which wasn't what i was thinking 2 years ago.

[orangeman]

First post since Sunday. Shattered physically, but elated. What a day and what an achievement by Fitzmaurice/Cian O'Neill especially.

Horrible game for neutrals I can imagine, but that was always going to be the case given the situation.

It's seriously hard to win back to back All Ireland's obviously, but can't wait to see these lads have a crack off it and regardless what happens, the future looks ok which wasn't what i was thinking 2 years ago.

Cian O'Neill seems to have had a huge influence on proceedings alongside Fitzmaurice - both come across very well.

[BennyCake]

Foot block on McBrearty before McFadden hit post? Penalty for Donegal?

[Over the Bar]

you could forgive them for missing the touch off the keeper, but i really dont know how they didnt see the defender putting it out 

Cos Kerry are given every opportunity to win...simple as. Every other team needs to beat the 15 in green and gold as well as the officials.   Kerry will never get a man set off regardless...which is why they made this AIF instead of Mayo.    Its all a complete joke...not that its any fault of the Kerry players themselves.

[Main Street]

there is a risk that this years All-Ireland will be re-named the Joe Brolly Cup, in the same way that 2003 was the pat Spillane cup.

So the final yesterday wasn't a "great advert for the game" but where the f**k is the instruction manual which says that "EVERY FINAL MUST BE PLAYED TO A SUPERLATIVE LEVEL OF STYLE AND PANACHE"

I say f**k joe Brolly and his opinion about puke football in the same way i said f**k Pat Spillane and his opinion of Tyrone in 2003.

The All-Ireland is for winning - its not a beauty contest. We were spoiled by the highest standards of the semi finals which preceded yesterday, and it it is completely wrong to be-grudge Kerry as winners or castigate Donegal for losing.

It is what it is.

Zeitgeist. Its the spirit of now...its how football is played today.

Brolly was w**king on last night about "clubs up and down the country will be mimicking this style of football.."
Really?

Crossmaglen will change? as will Ballinderry...and of course Dr Crokes and Castlebar and St Vincents

Will they f**k....in the same way as the semifinals didnt make everyone want to play like Mayo, Dublin etc...

That is the beauty of our code - that there is a dogged determination to win, where the medal and cup means more than any money.

Fair play to Kerry...enjoy it...you deserve it. Commiserations Donegal...roll on 2015.
Tyrone Abu

Club teams don't have to mimic it- they are long doing it.

Kerry crowed long enough about puke football. Brolly is quite right in saying that the irony this morning really is quite something

Kerry popped their cherry and entered the dark side yesterday

There is no going back for them

The biggest irony is that spillane was still proclaiming them as the purists of football.
I have absolutly no problem with the way kerry played yesterday, every team is entitled to play whatever way they want within the rules to give themselves the best chance of winning.
It didnt make for the greatest of spectle, but thats not thier problem.
What is hard to stomach is listening to Pat spouting that only donegal in the last 5 years had won an allireland playing defensive football. Did he not watch yesterdays game?
He has given out yards in the past about mcguiness playing the best FF in irealnd out round the middle of the feild, but not a word about it yesterday when Kerry did the same with james odonaghue.

In fairness, that is a reaction.
JOD has played inside in the FF line all year and has been scoring for fun.
Murphy plays out around the middle as a rule now because his manager has decided that's where he wants him to play.
Can people really not get the difference between being forced to play a particular style of football and choosing to play a particular style of football?

Here i would  go with Jinxy .
Indiana I think you have overreacted towards Kerry's style.
I'd regard  what they did as a horse for the course, whereas Donegal just do it as default even though they have the player ability to do it with some class.
Tactically, Kerry have more tools in their box. I wouldn't regard it as the last straw that Kerry resorted to that style in order to beat Donegal.

[AZOffaly]

you could forgive them for missing the touch off the keeper, but i really dont know how they didnt see the defender putting it out 

Cos Kerry are given every opportunity to win...simple as. Every other team needs to beat the 15 in green and gold as well as the officials.   Kerry will never get a man set off regardless...which is why they made this AIF instead of Mayo.    Its all a complete joke...not that its any fault of the Kerry players themselves.

Never get a man sent off? Tell that to the o'Ses, Paul Galvin et al. Maybe you don't remember them being sent off because normally they don't appeal, so there isn't so much drama.

[5 Sams]

you could forgive them for missing the touch off the keeper, but i really dont know how they didnt see the defender putting it out 

Cos Kerry are given every opportunity to win...simple as. Every other team needs to beat the 15 in green and gold as well as the officials.   Kerry will never get a man set off regardless...which is why they made this AIF instead of Mayo.    Its all a complete joke...not that its any fault of the Kerry players themselves.

[Mike Sheehy]

One of the greatest pleasures of the last few days has been sitting back and reading the whining from (some of) the Nordies.

Its like finishing a wonderful meal and the host keeps coming back and shoving dessert in front of you !

I'm fit to burst at this stage lads